MY MORNING JACKET @ Le National

By Ricky D - The Naked Lunch - 06/17/2008

The difference between the fifth studio album from the Louisville, Kentucky quintet and all previous work is the influence of producers James and Joe Chiccarelli (The Shins, U2), who stray away from the synths on some of My Morning Jacket’s past work and instead, try to emulate their full, live sound. This just might be the reason why this time around, the band outdid themselves once again on their 2008 North American tour.

With over two hours of back-to-back songs from their newest album, Evil Urges, the band left me wondering once again: why aren’t they playing for larger crowds? Opening with the title track from their latest release, the band's sound was tight and focused from the get-go and it never let up; the concert was a non-stop ride, giving us catchy tunes such as "I'm Amazed" and "Thank You Too."

Although My Morning Jacket first emerged in 1998 and have been compared to followers of Neil Young, the band has since embraced everything from neo-psychedelia and Americana to funk, prog, and reggae. Bringing these influences and styles together live made for one of the best concerts of the year. Jim James amazing performance confirmed that he still has one of the best male vocals in the business (giving nods to artists such as Prince and the Godfather of Soul). There’s also something to be said about a band that easily shifts from alt-country / indie rock to delivering an eight-minute long, sexy and tripped out electro-funk track reminiscent of 80’s new wave. Maybe this is why I love them so much.  

With a twenty song setlist, the band was sure to deliver enough tracks from previous albums to keep fans happy. The list included “Laylow,” “Lowdown,” “Gideon,” “Highly Suspicious,” two encores, and finally “One Big Holiday” before the band sent us home more than satisfied.

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